MIAMI — A year after 98 people died in the Surfside condo collapse, the families of the victims will return to the site of the tragedy Friday to mark the first anniversary of the Champlain Towers South collapse.
About 300 family members are expected to gather early Friday morning at the site where the 12-story building once stood to light a commemorative torch and honor their loved ones. They will officially observe the anniversary at 1:22 a.m. — the moment the building collapsed on June 24, 2021.
The torch will remain lit for about three weeks to represent the time it took until the last victim, Estelle Hedaya, was recovered from the rubble July 20, said Mayor Shlomo Danzinger. It will be displayed in Veterans Park across Collins Avenue from the collapse site.
